Chip on my shoulder: An InuKag Drabble
by hi-nezumi-no-kawagoromo
Summary: Whether it's her fault or not, it's no lie that Kagome gets kidnapped. A lot. But what happens when she decides to fight back?


Hand gripping the hilt of his sword, Inuyasha dashed through the forest.

 _'How could I have been so stupid?'_ the hanyou thought to himself. What kind of protector was he if the person he was trying to protect kept on getting in danger? That was the last time he would ever let her out of his sight again.

Leaping onto a low-hanging tree branch, Inuyasha paused and sniffed the air. Sifting through the many smells of the forest, Inuyasha focused in.

 _'If anything happens to her I… I-'_ He didn't need to finish the thought; though it was faint, he could smell her. There was no mistake; he'd know that scent anywhere. Wasting no time, Inuyasha leapt from tree to tree, making leaves fall and tree branches groan ever so slightly. Piercing golden eyes focusing ahead, Inuyasha quickened his pace as he followed Kagome's scent.

 _'You better be safe, Kagome!'_

 _"I'll come back straight after I finish my exam, I promise!" Kagome said, picking up her yellow backpack before slinging it over her shoulders._

 _"What's the rush? Why not take advantage of the down time we have and a relax a bit in your era?" Miroku asked. Accompanied by Sango and Shippo, who rested on the taijiya's shoulders, the duo nodded in agreement at the monk's suggestion._

 _"Well, I figured since we've been making decent progress on collecting the jewel shards why not come back sooner to make even more progress?" the schoolgirl replied._

'Besides, it's my fault the jewel is in so many shards anyways...'

 _"Alright, if you're sure. But don't overwork yourself for our sakes," Sango said as she flashed the miko an encouraging smile. Kagome returned the smile and nodded in response._

 _"I promise I won't," Kagome said before turning to face the Bone Eater's Well. Hands resting on the edge of the well, Kagome looked down into the inky blackness that connected the Feudal Era to her own. She paused; something felt off._

'This is almost too easy..'

 _She almost expected Inuyasha to show up at the last possible moment and tell her she wasn't allowed to go, that she had to stay and help gather the jewel shards before Naraku got them all. While she definitely didn't like being told what to do by a hanyou with a temper worse than hers, she couldn't deny that the hanyou had a point. And maybe, just maybe, he also didn't want her to go because he'd miss her. Even though she was flattered at the prospect of him missing her, she knew she'd never hear him say that; he was just too proud._

" _Kagome?" Shippo asked as he hopped onto her shoulder, breaking the girl from her reverie. Feeling her cheeks slightly warm, Kagome blinked a few times before turning her head to face the young kitsune._

" _Ah, I'm sorry, did I zone out?"_

" _Only a little bit," Shippo replied with a toothy grin. "Oh, don't worry about Inuyasha coming after you to bring you back while you're taking care of that 'eggs-ham' demon. Kaede needed help gathering some medicinal herbs. While I don't remember him specifically agreeing to help, I_ did _hear him say something along the lines of 'gotta make sure the old hag doesn't work herself to death' before following behind Kaede."_

 _Kagome sighed and shook her head slightly. There was that pride again: Inuyasha was all bark and no bite. Still, whether he was aware of it or not, he really did have a nice side, and she really admired how proud he was at times. She wouldn't be caught dead telling him that to his face though, it would go straight to his head._

" _Good to know, thanks Shippo," said Kagome, smiling at him. Shippo gave her a quick hug before scampering back over to Miroku and Sango. Kagome hoisted herself over the well, legs hanging over the edge, and looked back at her friends one last time._

" _Wish me luck!" the school girl exclaimed before jumping into the well, a faint flash of blue emerging once she'd successfully returned to her era._

At least, that was the story the runt had told him once he'd come back from helping Kaede. Inuyasha had been secretly relieved at the time, because the day she'd left was also the day of the New Moon, when he was at his most vulnerable. He hated the fact that Kagome had to see him like that- how could he protect her if he struggled just to protect himself? However, as soon as the sun had risen over the horizon the following day he'd gone through the well to give her a few choice words for not asking for his permission to go home.

That's when things had begun to take a turn for the worst. After he'd made his way into the Higurashi residence, he remembered the feeling of his heart dropping when Mrs. Higurashi had told him that Kagome wasn't home, that she'd gone through the well for whatever reason last night. That's when he knew something was wrong.

' _I promise I'll find you, Kagome. Just hold on a little bit longer!'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he soared over the treetops, a glowing red and white dot against the darkness of the night sky. Moonlight washing over the forest below, Inuyasha stopped in his tracks when he noticed smoke billowing over the tree line.

Sniffing in the direction of the smoke stack, he caught traces of Kagome's scent intermingled with the smoke's almost overpowering stench. Inuyasha leaped through the trees, closing the distance between the smoke stack and himself.

"I swear I'll tear them apart if they so much as lay a… hand on…" Inuyasha's voice trailed off. Ears twitching towards the now visible fire, he blinked as he saw Kagome standing in front of what looked like two cowering bandits.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Inuyasha muttered under his breath as he drew closer.

Even though Kagome's hands were bound behind her back, she was anything but helpless. Her brown eyes glared at the two men cowering beneath her as she continued to drill them with questions, her gaze never wavering.

"Have you no shame? How dare you just go around and kidnap any pretty girl you see? You're despicable!" The two men continued to shake in fear, until something behind Kagome caused them to look higher. As Kagome was going to turn around and see what the fuss was about, strong arms picked her up around the torso and lifted her onto their shoulder. Kagome began kicking out of instinct until she noticed the familiar white mane and red haori.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, relief washing over as she tried to crane her neck over her shoulder to catch his gaze.

"Calling this wench 'pretty' might be a little generous, but she is right in calling you two despicable. Are you two such cowards that the only way a woman will come near you is if you make them, or are your personalities just that shitty?"

"W-We're sorry! Honest!" the two blubbered. Inuyasha smirked at them before turning his gaze deadly serious.

"Next time you fuck with what's mine you won't get off so easy," Inuyasha threatened before turning around and walking away into the night.

Kagome mulled over his words as Inuyasha continued to carry her over his shoulder, deep in thought as she tried to determine if she'd heard him right.

' _Did he really just call me… his?'_ Kagome's cheeks burned at the thought. _'But if I'm really his, then why…'_

"Why haven't you untied me yet?" Kagome asked, her situation finally dawning on her.

"Be quiet, wench," Inuyasha replied, not even offering a glance in her direction.

"Why? And why are so angry? I didn't do anything wrong, and I was handling myself just fine until y- hey!" Kagome exclaimed in surprise as Inuyasha quickly shifted Kagome into a bridal style carry before leaping into the nearest tree. Heart pounding, more confused than anything, Kagome blinked in surprise as she waited for an explanation.

"Inu… yasha-"

"Never pull that shit on me again," Inuyasha snapped, piercing golden eyes meeting soft brown. Noticing the rising fear in the girl's eyes, Inuyasha cursed himself before taking a deep breath. He was never good at conveying what he was feeling- hell, half the time he wished he didn't _have_ stupid feelings to mull over. It would be so much easier that way! The smell of tears broke his train of thought, and his heart dropped when he saw pools of tears pour down Kagome's eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm always the one getting targeted. I'm sorry if I get in the way. I'm sorry that I'm so we-" Inuyasha cut the girl off by wrapping his arms around her and bringing her head to rest on his chest. And it could have been Kagome's imagination, but she almost swore that she felt Inuyasha slightly _tremble_ while in his embrace.

"That's not… That's not what I meant," Inuyasha admitted, pausing at the feeling of his cheeks burning. "You scared the shit out of me, Kagome. I thought something bad had happened, something worse than what did happen." A sigh racked his frame as he paused once again, mulling through the many thoughts and emotions swirling in his mind.

Kagome blinked in surprise. Maybe she _hadn't_ heard wrong.

"Hey… Inuyasha?"

"What is it now, wench?"

"Thank you," said Kagome. She moved to nuzzle the crook of his neck. "I promise to try and not scare you like that anymore."

"You damn well better. You're safer with me around, being a god damn clutz and all…"

"That reminds me, Inuyasha," Kagome said, her voice turning sickeningly sweet as she lifted her head to meet his gaze. "What exactly did you mean back there when you said that calling me 'pretty' was _generous_?"

"Oi, don't try to turn this around on me, bitch! You should be _thanking me_ for rescuing you again," Inuyasha quipped, meeting her gaze head on.

"Did you forget what I said earlier, or are you going deaf dog boy? Also, when are you going to untie me?"

"When I feel like it," Inuyasha replied with a cheeky grin. Wriggling backwards in an attempt to "escape", Kagome almost fell off of the branch. It wasn't even a second later, though, that Inuyasha shot an arm behind her and brought her close again. The two looked at each other, and before they knew it they were both laughing.

Neither of them had said everything that they wanted to say, but perhaps what _was_ said was just enough.


End file.
